Residents have been left terrified to leave their homes after a number of incidents in which cars have left the road and ploughed into their trees, garden walls, and other cars.

Following a serious crash in Wyck Beck Road, Brentry, which saw emergency services descend on the area after a BMW convertible ploughed through a garden wall, homeowners have spoken out about their fears - declaring the situation as an emergency.

According to residents there have been seven incidents since June of this year in which cars have left the busy dual carriageway northbound towards Cribbs Causeway and mounted the pavement, taking down trees, lampposts, and garden walls in their path.

Yvonne Smith, 76, has lived on the road since the 1980s. She said: “On some days I can’t even bring myself to leave the house to walk my dogs because the thought of what could happen terrifies me. I shouldn’t feel trapped by the traffic outside my house, but I do.

“I have had nightmares about a car crashing through the front window. I don’t think it’s fair, either on the drivers or the residents who live here, to have to worry about such a dangerous road.

“Every time someone walks past my front window I hope that they’ll be alright. I do feel that it is an emergency now, it seems like it can only be a matter of time until someone is killed by a car mounting the pavement.”

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The garden wall destroyed in Saturday’s incident had only just been fixed after being hit less than a month before.

Yvonne and the other residents of Wyck Beck Road, which is one of the major routes from the city centre towards Cribbs Causeway, have identified a number of issues with the road that could have caused the accidents.

They have claimed sunken manhole covers and potholes have created a dangerous road surface - exacerbated by drivers far exceeding the 40mph speed limit due to the lack of speed cameras.

(Image: David Backhurst)

Confusing and contradictory signs and heavy traffic have also been cited as possible reasons for the high number of incidents.

They have made urgent requests to Bristol City Council for immediate traffic calming measures on the busy road such as speed cameras, but have since claimed the response has been inadequate.

A meeting has been scheduled at the council for later this month, but homeowners along the road have stated even this might be too late.

Yvonne said: “We’ve gone to the council a number of times, but nothing has been done. I think it is quite neglectful, to be honest, when the accidents just keep happening.

Rosemarie Vernon, 70, has lived in her home on Wyck Beck Road for 40 years. She said: “This used to be a very, very quiet road, before all of the shops came to Cribbs Causeway. Of course we noticed a huge change as soon as that happened, but year on year it seems to have steadily grown.

“With the sheer number of people using the road it is inevitable that there would be a couple of accidents, but anyone living here can see that there is something wrong with the road. There are just far too many incidents happening on a regular basis.

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“The speed limit is technically 40 mph, but many of the cars coming past clearly exceed that and there’s nothing really there to stop them. With plans for thousands of houses in the area, I can only imagine how bad it will eventually be.

“Something needs to be done urgently - if the road can’t cope now there’s no chance things will be any better in the years to come. It’s a huge safety concern, and I can’t believe it’s not being addressed more urgently.”

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “We have been in contact with local residents as well as Cllr Weston and Darren Jones MP about concerns over a number of recent incidents in Wyck Beck Road.

“As an immediate measure we are installing temporary signage to highlight the risk to road traffic. We are also investigating the other best short-term options available to improve road safety here.

“Longer term, this area will benefit from highway improvements to the A4018, as part of a series of upcoming proposals which include looking at the junction layout and overall look of this stretch of road.”